The Charms of Materia
by chibi-sprite
Summary: 3 Months after Advent Children. A strange girl with and addiction to materia, music and fighting? Why is she after Cloud? Lust, revenge or is she after something he can give her? Where does their adventure lead them ?Cloud OC


Hey hey, this is a wee story i thought up whilst playing FFVII, I'm only on the first disk so no telling me what happens . ,deal?

This is an OC/Cloud story. I hope everyone enjoys it, i know the first chapter is pretty confusing but bear with me please!

Disclaimer : The only thing I own is this story idea, no ffvii stuff whatsoever, only my character – Mairi Janetto . The song, 10 years today is owned by Bullet for my Valentine.

* * *

10 Years Today

"Mairi, it's time for you to go on, the other band's already finished. Where's your guitarist?"

"Oh...I'm the guitarist, I'll just go get my guitar" Mairi smiled nicely to the woman organizing tonights event. It was going to be her last gig, but she felt nothing, no excitement at all, she just wanted everything to be over.

"You must be nervous, your hands are shaking." She looked up at the woman, pulling herself out of a daze. "No I'm not nervous." And then left to 'get her guitar'.

_If only she knew,_ she thought. As she left the room she looked at her hands, they were beginning to blister again. When she found her locker, she pulled out a small round bag that seemed to be glowing slightly, and when she looked at it she began to find herself hunger after the power that this little bag held, and ran into a toilet to lock herself in.

When she opened the bag, green light poured out onto her face. She could feel the blisters on her hands spread up her arms. She needed the materia now, and dropped the little ball of materia onto her hand and bit her lip as she prepared to absorb it into her blistering arms.

She could feel the white pain scrape up her arms and let out a little whimper in pain. Why was she cursed in this way?

Some people walked into the toilets and their disturbance pulled her out of her self pity. It was time for her to go on stage, time to sing once again.

Once her singing was over, she would go and find him...

Her journey would be over...

Would it really?

* * *

"Cloud, how do you feel about going out tonight?"

Tifa bent down to tap Cloud on the shoulder. He was sitting on the floor cleaning his sword as usual. He sighed and looked up at her.

"Sorry, I was just planning to go out and train again tonight."

"Aww, but thats all you ever do Cloud, you should take it easy sometimes! After everything you've done!"

"But I like training."

Tifa sighed, it was the same every night, all he ever did was go out on his motorbike. She knew why he would go out and train, but he would never admit it if she asked.

"You still miss her don't you?" That seemed to hit a sore spot because he glared at her, got up and left leaving his sword on the floor. She rolled her eyes, he couldn't answer yes to her question, but she knew that yes was his answer.

"Well I'm going out to have a good time!" She shouted after him.

_Great, now everyones in a bad mood._ She thought as she put on her shoes.

Cloud had stormed up the stairs. Of course he missed her, but that wasn't what had annoyed him. He knew Aerith for such a short time, but they had connected and he still felt her presence around him.

"Cloud?"

The little girls voice behind him startled him.

"Were you and Tifa arguing again?" He sighed , knelt down in front of her and gently rubbed her on the head.

"Don't worry about it Marlene, it's my fault, I got too worked up, I'll apologize later, Tifa went out."

"Whats the matter Cloud, you've been in a bad mood for aaages!"

His anger flared up again and he shouted, "Nothing!" again. Marlene blinked back a couple of tears, she hadn't expected him to react so badly to her innocent curiosity. Instantly he felt guilty and sat cross-legged in front of her and tried to apologize. Before he got the chance she crawled up onto his leg and cuddled into him crying. He wasn't use to such tenderness.

"I'm sorry for making you angry, Cloud."

"I'm sorry for making you cry." He smiled and playfully poked her in the tummy making her laugh.

"Tell me whats wrong, please, Cloud?" He sighed and asked her to keep it a big secret. She nodded and put her finger to her mouth.

"Well, a couple of nights ago, Aerith came to me in my dreams," Instantly Marlene was captivated because she wanted to know lots about Aerith, "And she told me to move on and forget her. I'm not ready to just yet, but I know that it's for the best that I do."

Marlene had never seen Cloud so sad before so she stood up on his leg and hugged him around the neck. "I don't want to forget her either. We don't have to forget her do we?"

"No." Said Cloud, "Never."

* * *

Tifa sat at a table in a club sulking by herself. A couple of drunk men were trying to chat her up and she could feel the anger burning up at them. Why couldn't she just have one happy night? _Why can't Cloud see how I feel? _She asked herself.

"Darlin', why don't we go somewhere a little quieter? You and me are by ourselves yeah?" The man's disorientated eyes crawled all over her body and his sleazy voice was making her skin ripple with disgust. She felt her disgust well up and formed her hand into a fist.

"Do you talk to all women like that?" Said a deep voice from behind her, she recognized it at once.

"Cloud! You came!" Cloud squared up to the man who decided it would be better to leave this girl alone for the night. They then sat down together at a table.

"I heard this band is supposed to be really good!" Tifa tried to clear up the awkward atmosphere between them after their argument.

"I'm sorry for shouting Tifa, Marlene said I should find you, and I'm glad I did."

She felt her cheeks burning at his concern, she didn't want to be 'just best friends', it wasn't enough for her. Her throat swelled as she began to blurt out something she didn't want to say.

"Cloud, I really li-"

"Whats this bands name again?" His interruption was a bad omen she thought, and so decided to keep what she was going to say for a while.

"Massacre in the Inn" She replied. Cloud looked slightly amused by the name.

They waited patiently for the band to come on stage. When band appeared, they walked on to the stage. Something sparked in Clouds head. Cloud and Tifa both looked at each other.

"Something doesn't feel right."

"I know, lets be prepared okay?"

On cue the band burst into life, thrashing drum beats, layers of guitars and vocals began to weave in amongst each other, like a heavy metal battle between voice and instruments on stage.

"10 years ago

I got a call that nearly killed me

repeat yourself my hands are shaking

when I was told, my friend was gone  
I felt so guilty, a thousand questions left unanswered

I'll bleed if you want me to  
I'll serenade before i do  
I'll bleed if you want me to"

On stage, Mairi could feel all the vibrations of her music fight all around her. Unknown to the crowd, her music was telling a story, of her life.

At 21 years of age, this young woman played her music to anyone who would listen, it was her lively hood, fighting and music helped her to survive. She sang and screamed out into her microphone, her whole body shacking with emotion from her story.

Back in the crowd, Cloud noticed something that perplexed him.

"Tifa, look at the second guitarist, not the lead singer."

She squinted up through the lights from the stage and gasped in shock.

"She looks just like Shiva!"

"Yes, and the drummer?"

"Oh my go- is that...Ifrit?"

"Now, bassist...its Odin."

"I can't believe it, the singer has summon spells playing music!" explained Tifa.

"Theres something about her, I can sense something. I think we should be ready to fight Tifa." He pulled out one small sphere of materia and absorbed it easily into his arm to be ready in case of battle.

Mairi's eyes flared open, she could spot that sphere of materia miles away, although none of the crowd had noticed it. Suddenly she could feel her hands blistering again, In mid song she tried to make out who had the materia.

A man, blond hair in a spike, blue eyes with mako energy...

The man she had been looking for...

She stop playing the guitar and started to dance around the stage. The crowd below her went wild as she crossed her arms in the air. They didn't know she was secretly casting a spell.

He sensed the power around her and grabbed for a small sword under his cloak but found he couldn't move his arm.

"Tifa, there's going to be a fight, she paralyzed me." The calm way in which he said it shocked her, but she readied herself never the less.

Mean while, Mairi on stage smiled maliciously.

* * *

Yeah its confusing but hopefully interesting, materia plays a big and very confusing part in this story and if you need any help understanding what its about ask and ill try to explain :) 


End file.
